Suspended milker



Sept. 16, 1958 E. RAwsoN SUSPENDED MILKER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Aug. 25, 1949 INVENTOR. Emanuel Rawson E. RAWSON SUSPENDED MILKER Sept. 16, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Aug. 23, 1949 INVENTOR. Emanuel Ra United States PatentO SUSPENDED MILKER Emanuel Rawson, Chicago, 11]., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Rite-Way Dairy Farm Equipment Corporation, Springfield, Mass., a corporation of Delaware Original appiication August 23, 1949, Serial No. 111,934, now Patent No. 2,693,703, dated November 9, 1954. Dividged and this application July 22, 1953, Serial No. 370,9 8

6 Claims. C1. 11914.46)

This application is a division of my application Serial No. 111,934, filed August 23, 1949, issued as Patent No. 2,693,703 on November 9, 1954, and which is a continuation in part of my application, Serial No. 70,300, filed January 11, 1949, issued as Patent No. 2,665,663 on January 12, 1954.

In mechanical milkers of one well known type a vacuum is maintained within the milker. The milker is provided with a number of nipples, generally four, through which milk flows into the receptacle from the teat cups that are placed on the cows udder. It is customary to have the milk nipples on the receptacle extend at an acute angle to the horizontal. The milk entering the receptacle from the. nipples has 'a tendency to disturb the milk already in the receptacle, causing it to swish back and forth. As the receptacle approaches its normally filled condition the swishing of the milk back and forth within the receptacle becomes highly objectionable for a number of reasons, one of which is that the moving milk may splash against the vacuum inlet opening of the receptacle and be drawn into the vacuum line. It is an object of this invention to provide means for inhibiting the tendency of the milk flowing into the receptacle from producing longitudinal movement of the milk within the receptacle. This is accomplished by directing the inwardly flowing stream or streams of milk so as to produce substantially no longitudinal movement of the milk within the receptacle. In one preferred construction wherein the milk line receiving nipples are on the cover of the pour-out spout, the anti-splash arrangement consists of a special gasket which also serves to make the cover air tight on the pour-out spout. This -gasket is an oversized flat rubber disc between the cover and the pour-out spout. When the disc is positioned in the lid it bulges outwardly and acts as a splash baffle for the inwardly flowing stream or streams of milk.

The attainment of the above and further objects of the present invention will be apparent from the following specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a side view, in partial section, of a suspended milker embodying the present invention;

Figure 2 is a left hand and view of the milker of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view takenalong the line 3--3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary top view of the milker of Figure l; and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional view takenalong the line 55 of Figure 4.

Reference may now be had more particularly to the drawings wherein like reference numerals designate like parts throughout.

The receptacle of the present invention, indicated by the reference numeral 1, includes two similar deep drawn stainless steel cylindrical containers 2-3, circular in cross 7 2,851,989 Patented Sept. 16, 1958 section. The containers are of identical size so that the same dies can be used for making both containers substantially to completion. Each of the two containers is smooth and substantially devoid of sharp corners to facilitate cleaning. To that effect the juncture 4 between the end 5 and the cylindrical body is along a smooth curve. At its outer end each container has a smooth curl 8 extending outwardly around the entire periphery of the opening and entirely seamless so that the entire outer surface of the curl 8 is perfectly smooth for receiving a gasket 10 which seals around the curl.

The gasket is preferably made of transparent or trans lucent material so that it can be utilized as a sight glass through which the milk level in the receptacle can be viewed. One substance suitable for this gasket is a plasticized polyvinyl chloride compound, known in the trade as Koroseal. In order that the gasket may be transparent or translucent it is desirable that the same be made by extrusion, rather than by molding. The gasket is extruded and formed into an endless ring. Adjacent the gasket 10 the receptacle 3 has a scale 11 which is calibrated to indicate the milk content of the receptacle in terms of any desired unit as, for instance, pounds or quarts of milk in the receptacle comprising the containers 2 and 3. The cross section of the gasket is illustrated in Figure 1 from which it can be seen that the gasket is curved along a smooth inner curve 12, and a smooth outer curve 13 of smaller radius of curvature than the inner curve. The two curves 12 and 13 are joined by side curves into which the curls 8 extend, those side curves being of a slightly larger radius of curvature than the radius of curvature of the outside of the curl engaged thereby. As a result of this, when the gasket is compressed by drawing the two curls 8-8 towards one another it automatically centers the two containers.

While I have herein spoken about the gasket 10 and the scale 11 as being separate from one another, it is within the purview of the present invention to mark the calibrated scale directly on the outer curve 13 of the gasket, in which event the gasket would be arranged to be positioned in one, and only one, position between the containers. 7

The container 3 has a circular pour-out opening or spout 15 formed in the cylindrical wall thereof adjacent the end wall 5. The pour-out spout is formed by piercing and then drawing the metal of the cylindrical wall of the container outwardly. Where the metal is of insuflicient thickness to permit drawing the same outwardly for the full extent necessary for forming the spout, there is provided a stainless steel sheet metal ring 16 which is welded to the spout portion 15 along a smooth line of weld 17. The ring 16 is provided at its top with an outward smooth curl 18 that extends around the entire periphery of the ring. This constitutes the milk receiving opening and also the pour-out opening for the receptacle. The opening of the pour-out spout is adapted to be closed by a cover 20 which will be later described. An angle iron ledge 21 is welded to the end 5 of the container 3 to be used in supporting one end of the milker on a milk receiving can as milk is being poured from the receptacle 1 through the spout 15.

The container 3 is provided with a vacuum inlet nipple or ring fitting 25 that fits flush on the cylindrical surface of the container around a hole 26 (Fig. 3), being soldered or welded to the container all around the hole 26. At its upper end the fitting 25 has an enlargement or head 27 which extends around the entire periphery thereof, whereby a check valve 28, to be more fully described, may be snapped over the fitting. It is sufficient here to state that the check valve 28 is part of the pulsator assembly 29 that is adapted to be positioned on or removed from the receptacle, as will be more fully explained as this description proceeds.

The open ends of the containers 2 and 3 are juxtaposed, with the sealing gasket ring between them; and they are then clamped together to form a-single receptacle. The clamping may be accomplished inany desired manner. -In the present instance there has been shown a series of three clasps 33 spaced- 120 apart and each secured to the container 2. Each of the clasps 33 consists of a plate 34 welded to the. container 2;. and forming a pivotal support at 35 for ah'and levet136, in which is swiveled a looped spring hook member 37- that swings about a pivot axis 38 that is part of the lever 36. The hook member 37 is adapted to hook under the curl 8 of the container 3. When the lever 36 is in the position illustrated in Figure 1 the clasps draw the two containers towards one another and firmlypres's the curls 8 ofthe two containers towards the opposite surfaces of the ring gasket. 10. When the lever 36 is swung counter-clockwise from the positionillustrated in Figure 1 it permits the hook portion of the clasp 37 to release from the curl 8 of the container 3 and permit separation of the two containers.

A metal handle 40 is Welded or otherwise permanently secured to the outside of the container 2. The handle includes a carryingbar 41 which may be gripped by the hand to carry the entire receptacle, or which may be suspended from a .surcingle to hold the receptacle in position beneath a cow during milking. To facilitate suspension of the milker from the-cow, the carrying bar .41 has. a number of notches 42,. 43,. 44 jand, .45 formed therein so-that the carrying. bar may be. positioned ionasnrcinglerod 46 at any, one of. the notches 42-45 in such amanneras to permit tilting of .the receptacle about the rod 46. As seen in Figure-1,. the axis of tilt of the receptaclel would pass. through ,the center of, the surcingle rod 46 infla direction at right angles to the plane of. the sheet ofFigure l. The. receptacleis suspended from the surcinglewith theclosed end of'the-container 3 facing toward; the teats of, the cow and with the longitudinal axis of the receptacle extending lengthwise of the cow. It is to be noted that ing downwardly throughthe milk line nipples 50 strike the space where thefitting engages the block.

the bar 41 extends beyond the open end of the container 2 and that the last notch is a considerable distance beyond the open end of the container 2. Thi s is ,provided to allow-a widerang'e of variationsi the point of support of .the receptaclefrom the. surcingletqpermit varying the pull on the cows teatsas the milking proceeds and the receptacle fills. The handle, 4ll ,is of a generally smooth exterior surface to facilitate cleaning thereof.

As previously stated, the container 3 has a pour-out spout 15 which is adapted to be covered by acap or cover 20. The cover 20 consists of a stainless steel circular disc of a diameter somewhat greater than the outside diameter of the curl l8 on the spout ,15. The disc has four milk line receiving tubes or nipples 50 extending therefrom, eachwith its longitudinal axi s at an angle approximately 30 to the planelof the;,cover 20. Each nipple opensjthrou gh the lid 20 for discha rging the milk into the receptacle. .In order to assurethat the streams of milk that flow through the.nipples into the receptacle shallnot enter the receptacle at gan agute angle to the horizontal a bafiie is provided on the,. 11nder side of the cover .20. This bafile takes the form of a flat oversized round gasket of flexible rubber or other suitable gasketing materiaL, When the ov ersi;e gasket is positioned in the cover the gasket flexes pytwardly to a dished formation spacing the gasket from the cover inwardly of the rim .of the cover. The -gasket provides a circular rim 56 between the bottomof the cover 20 and the top of the curl 18 that forms a vacuum tight seal between the cover and the pour-out spout 15. The gasket has a central opening 57 at'thebottompf the dished portion of the gasket. Streams of milk flowthe gasket 55. Any swirling or agitation of the milk that does take place by reason of the inclination of the nipples 50 takes place inthe space between the gasket 55 and the cover 20, the milk' then flowing vertically downwardly through the opening 57. In order to facilitate retention of the gasket within the cover while at the same time-permitting removal of the gasket from the cover to. facilitate cleaning, the cover 20 has an inwardly inclined peripheral rim 58 on the under side ther eot so that. on lifting of the coverfrom the receptacle the gasket unseat the cover. The gasket 55 is, lioweven eas ly removed from the cover. It is to be noted that the diameter of the cover is appreciably greater than the outside diameter of the pour-out spout 15 so that the cover does not have to be centered on the pour-out spot. The cover has a limited freedom ofis'lidrng movement across the spout.

The. cover has an inverted U-shape'd bail or spring catch '59 secured thereto. This spring catch may consist of a piece or: wire bent into a generally channel shape. The ends of the wire are of somewhat reduced diameter and fit snugly through holes in the lid or cover, the ends being riveted over. on the under side of the lid.

A description will 'now be givefi of the construction of the pulsator 29 insofar as the pulsator is modified from prior constructions, in order to facilitate its use on the container 3. The pulsator includes a pulsator block 65 on which. is mounteda pulsating mechanism which may be of any preferred construction, --for instance, one such as 'shown "inrny applicationtorpatent filed 0t Leven dateherewith. A cup-shaped fitting66 is secured to the under side of the pulsator as by a screw "67. that threads into the pulsator block 65. A suitable ring gasket 68 is located between the fitting and the block to provide a vacuum tight seal around Thefitting has a vacuum chamber 70 into which a pipe 71 extends-,the-pipe being'pressed into the fitting in a manner tomakea vacuum tight seal between the': pipe and thefitting. The pipe 71 has a pulsator handle 72 around the same and terminates in a vacuum line-receivingznipple 74 to which there may be connected a vacuum hose'for extending vacuum to the:pulsator and, as will bepresently described,also"to themilk receptacle.

.A'branch from'the pipe 71"is formed'hy'the pli1g-in type check valve 28 that was previously referred-to. To that eflfect a hole 76 is formed on the underside of the pipe 71 and a vacuum fitting 78 (Fig. 3) is welded to 'the'pipe 71 around the hole 76. A tubular valve body 80, of. rubber or the like, is tensioned around the fitting 78.., To facilitate retention of the valve body on the fitting 78 the'fitting is outwardly flared downwardly from the pipe 71. The valve body '80 has a central opening 82 formed by a circular ledge 83 that constitutes a valve seat for a check valvestem 84. The check valve stem seats by gravity on the 1edge83 and closes the opening 82, but the stem is adapted to' be raised by a preponderance of pressure below the stem, as comparedto the vacuum pressure above the stem. The rubber valve body 80 is adapted to be snapped "over the fittingZS' so that'the ledge 83 seats on the topot the fitting 25, and the bottom portion of the'valve body 80 makes a; vacuum tight seal around the top of the fitting 25. The vacuum fitting 78 and the valve body Sll and the check valve stem 84 are circular in--cross bend 91 fat the bottom thereof which is inserted through down to a horizontal position with the portion 91 of the spring 50 resting on the cover 20, and the valve body 80 is' pressed downwardly onto and over the fitting 25. This establishes'a valved connection between the vacuum pipe 71 and the interior of the receptacle. If vacuum is then applied to the pipe 71 as, for instance, by connecting the same to a vacuum line, the vacuum will draw the valve stem 84 upwardly and thus exhaust the air from the receptacle. If the vacuum is at any time disconnected from the pipe 71 and atmospheric pressure substituted therefor the valve stem 84 immediately falls and maintains the previously established vacuum within the receptacle.

It is to be noted that the position of the pulsator on the receptacle is determined by the plug-in connection between the valve body 80 and the nipple 25 and that the cover 20 has a limited permissive movement across the spout. This obviates the need of extreme precision in locating the valve nipple 25 with respect to the spout 15. Only the .check valve connection 28 between the pulsator and the receptacle is fixed with respect to the receptacle. The position of the other end of the pulsator with respect to the receptacle does not have to be fixed because the cover itself has freedom of movement with respect to the pour-out spout 15.

When the suspended milker of the present invention is in use each of the nipples 50 is connected to a different one of the four milk tubes from the four inflations that are positioned on the cows teats and each of the four vacuum nipples 95 of the pulsator is connected to a different one of the four vacuum tubes of the same four inflations or shells that receive the inflations. At that time a rubber tube connects the nipple 74 at the end of the pipe 71 to a vacuum line. When the milking operation on one particular cow has been completed the dairyman disconnects from the vacuum line the hose that is connected to the nipple 74. This immediately applies atmospheric pressure to the pipe 71 and therefore the check valve 28 closes. Closing of this valve prevents a rush of air into the receptacle by way of the vacuum pipe line that is connected to the nipple 74. This vacuum pipe line sometimes has an accumulation of debris therein and it is for this reason that it is important that there be no reverse flow of air from that line into the milk receptacle. The dairyman also removes the four teat cups from the cows teats and generally permits the inflations to hang downwardly from the four nipples 50 and the four nipples 95. The hose from the respective inflations that are connected to the nipples 50 close off those nipples in a manner vcustomary in the art, as shown, by Way of example, in the patent to McCornack, No. 1,859,213. When it is desired to empty the container it is merely necessary to pull upwardly on the handle 72. This causes the check valve 28 to disengage from the ring fitting 25 and permit lifting of the pulsator assembly. Lifting of the pulsator causes the hook spring 90 to engage the bail 59 of the cover and lift the cover off of the pour-out opening 15. Thus, lifting of the handle 72 causes the pulsator and the cover and the four connected inflations to be lifted as a unit from the receptacle. The ledge 21 of the receptacle 1 may then be positioned on a milk receptacle bail and the milk from the receptacle 1 poured through the pour-out opening 15. Since air can enter the receptacle 1 through the now open fitting 25 there is no gurgling of air at the pour-out open ing as milk is poured from the receptacle.

It is to be noted that the present structure lends itself readily to cleaning. The two containers 12 may easily be separated from one another, thus exposing all of the interior of each of the containers for cleaning. To clean the valve 28 and it is merely necessary to force the rubber valve body 80 from the fitting 78 over which it is sprung. Thereafter the Valve stem 84 can be lifted from the valve body 80, thus exposing all of the parts for cleaning. From the above description it is apparent that the assembly and disassembly of the parts of the present milker is a very simple matter.

In compliance with the requirements of the patent statutes I have here shown and'described a preferred embodiment of my invention. It is, however, to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise construction here shown, the same being merely illustrative of the principles of the invention. What I consider new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: i -1. A milk receptacle for a vacuum type milker, said receptacle having a vacuum connector for maintaining a vacuum therein and having a pour out opening, a cover for the opening, said cover having a series of inclined milk line nipples discharging into the receptacle, and baffle means in the inner side of the cover for inhibiting milk surge in the receptacle induced by streams of milk from the nipples, said bafile means comprising a disk sealing gasket between the cover and the receptacle and extending into the path of flow of milk from the nipples into the receptacle.

2. A milk receptacle for a vacuum type milker, said receptacle having an opening, a cover for the opening, said cover having a series of inclined milk line nipples discharging into the receptacle, and baffle means on the inner side of the cover for inhibiting milk surge in the receptacle induced by streams of milk from the nipples, said baflie means comprising a flexible disc sealing gasket between the cover and the receptacle in the path of flow of milk from the nipples into the receptacle, and means bowing the disc gasket away from the cover to form a chamber between the top of the gasket and the bottom of the cover, the milk from the nipples entering said chamber and impinging upon the gasket, the gasket having an opening through which the milk flows into the receptacle.

3. A milk receptacle for a vacuum type milker, said receptacle having an opening, a cover for the opening, said cover having a series of inclined milk line nipples discharging into the receptacle, the cover having a peripheral flange at the bottom thereof, and baflle means on the inner side of the cover for inhibiting milk surge in the receptacle induced by streams of milk from the nipples, said baffle means comprising a flexible disc sealing gasket between the cover and the receptacle in the path of flow of milk from the nipples into the receptacle, the gasket being confined by the flange and being oversized in area with respect to the area embraced by the flange and flexed by the flange into a dished shape spacing the center portions of the gasket from the cover to form a chamber between the gasket and the cover.

4. In a vacuum type milker, a receptacle, a cover therefor having milk line receiving nipples extending therefrom and opening therethrough, a sealing gasket between the cover and the receptacle, said gasket being spaced from the cover at the nipples and underlying the nipple openings to be in the path of milk flow flowing through the nipples and thereby constituting a baffle for the streams of milk flowing through the nipples into the receptacle.

5. A milk receptacle for a vacuum type milker, said receptacle having means for pivotally suspending the same and having a vacuum connector for maintaining a' vacuum therein and having a pour out opening, a cover for the opening, said cover having a series of inclined milk line nipples discharging into the receptacle, and baflle means on the inner side of the cover for inhibiting milk surge in the receptacle induced by streams of milk from the nipples, said baflle means comprising a disk sealing gasket between the cover and the receptacle and extending into the path of flow of milk from the nipples into the receptacle.

6. In a vacuum type milker, a receptacle, means for pivotally mounting the same, a cover for the receptacle, said cover having a milk line receiving nipple extending therefrom and opening therethrough, a sealing gasket between the cover and the receptacle, said gasket being spaced from the cover at thenipples and underlying the nipple openings to be in the path of milk flow flowing through the nipples and thereby constituting a baflle for 7 th 'st'fggfns bf milk flbwing through the nipples into the 1,849,672 fceptal. 1,859,213

2,610509 Refer'e'nc'e's Cited in the file of thls patent 2,665,663 UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 1,629,964 Price May 24, 1927 1,653,756 Babson :Dec. 27, 1927 24,950

8 ian's son Mar. '15, 1932: McCbrna'ck May 17, 1932 Thomas Sept. 16, 1952' 'Rawsofi J an. '12, I954 FOREIGN PATENTS Australia v July 25. 1930 

